Experiential learning in the multicultural classroom as applied to a Market Research class

Business Studies Business Studies Conference Papers coda Year 2007 Experiential learning in the multicultural classroom as applied to a Market Research class Markus Klose Whitireia Community Polytechnic, markus.klose@whitireia.ac.nz This paper is posted at coda. http://www.coda.ac.nz/whitireia busstud cp/2

Experiential Learning in the multicultural Classroom as applied to a Market Research Class Markus Klose Whitireia Community Polytechnic, Auckland markus.klose@whitireia.ac.nz Abstract: Society s expectation of tertiary education providers, and especially polytechnics, is that they will produce skilled, workforce-ready graduates. Tertiary teachers are expected not only to provide students with relevant knowledge of an academic discipline, but also to develop employability skills in students.this paper discusses the author s experience in using an experiential learning strategy for a second-year degree paper in the field of Market Research to a multicultural group of student from Asian backgrounds. The author s aim is to provide students with a learning environment, where they can acquire discipline knowledge and skills which are relevant for their future employment. This paper does not provide a systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of this approach, but aims at sharing ideas and experience with participants of the Learning and Teaching Conference in an interactive round-table discussion. Keywords Experiential learning, employability skills, international students, market research Introduction As tertiary teachers we often find ourselves in a triangle of expectations that needs careful balancing. At the top of the triangle, we find society s expectations, especially at polytechnics, where we are to produce skilled, workforce-ready graduates. In addition, we are expected to provide students with a wider set of life-skills, which will enhance their prospects of employment after graduation. Fallows and Steven (2000) identify such skills as the retrieval and handling of information, communication and presentation, planning and problem solving, and social development and interaction. At the second side of the triangle are student expectations. Students expect courses to be fun, easy to understand, and manageable in terms of their assessments. Informal interviews conducted with students of the Market Research class indicate that they also want to know the relevance of topics and concepts (personal communication March 2007; personal communication October 2006, 2007). The third site of the triangle, the tertiary institute s management, expects reasonable pass rates and attendance, satisfied students, a positive contribution to the institute s reputation and ultimately favourable graduate employment outcomes.

Figure 1: The expectation triangle The aim of the author is to provide students with a learning environment, where the following two goals can be achieved simultaneously: providing students with up-to-date, work-place relevant discipline knowledge and enhancing their employability skills. To balance such expectation set I apply an experiential teaching and learning approach for delivering Market Research on degree level. The rationale for applying an experiential teaching and learning approach is that as students have to carry out a task, they are learning by doing. It is widely discussed in recent literature that students will remember and understand better if they do (e.g. Silberman, 1996; McKeachie, 2002). The learner needs not only to hear, but to see, discuss, perform, get a feeling of achievement, and even teach (e.g. in a peer teaching environment) in order to process and relate newly acquired knowledge. Based on my personal experience, the following two premises also apply: (1) students that are actively involved in class are more likely to find classes interesting, and (2) as a result attend classes more frequently. Higher attendance rates are beneficial for students overall performance in assignments and exams as demonstrated by various researchers (e.g. Moore 2003, Romer 1993). An experiential teaching and learning approach also enables the lecturer to include employment skills in the course s curriculum during the delivery of topics and concepts. Activities that can be incorporated in the weekly delivery of discipline knowledge include, but are not limited to presentations, planning and problem solving, and social development and interaction skills. In my experience, an experiential teaching approach balances the expectation set of the triangle. By incorporating experience-based activities in the delivery, the instructor is able to simultaneously satisfy the needs and expectations of all three parties, ie. society, students and the tertiary institute s management. This paper aims to share my experience in applying an experimental teaching and learning approach. To date, I have not conducted any systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of this approach. While all evidence cited in this paper is anecdotal and reflective, I believe that the outcomes for the students are improved considerably, not least of all in their levels of personal confidence. For the purpose of this Teaching and Learning conference, I invite participants to share their experience and ideas with me in an interactive round-table discussion.

Definitions In this paper, I use the term experiential teaching and learning approach to describe a learning environment, where students are learning by doing. The learner acquires skills and knowledge based on experience, either through a real-life project or a simulation. There are many synonyms for experiential learning. Silberman (1996) for instance uses the term active learning to describe the same concept. Opposing such experiential teaching and learning environment is a teaching approach that I label the lecture approach. A lecture based teaching approach or delivery model is teaching by giving a discourse on a subject, where students are mostly listening to the presenter (WordNet 2007). My classes are multicultural, and students have all experienced different cultural conditioning in respect to teaching and learning i.e. they have different values, norms and beliefs, and therefore behave differently in the classroom. When referring to employability skills, this paper focuses on skills that are relevant to employers in New Zealand. The assumption is made that New Zealand based employability skills apply to other Western societies. For the purpose of the paper, I use the terms teacher, instructor, and lecturer interchangeably. Background Background on the course Market Research is a compulsory course for students studying towards the Marketing major of Whitireia Polytechnic s Bachelor of Applied Business Studies degree. Students background All students in my Market Research classes are international students from Asian backgrounds. The majority of students are ethnic Chinese from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Other ethnicities in the course include Vietnamese and Thai. The majority of students have no discipline relevant work experience (i.e. work experience in the wider Marketing field). Students that have discipline relevant work experience have not worked in Western countries, but gained their work experience in their native country. In my experience, teaching in a predominantly Asian classroom is different to teaching domestic students. Asian students tend to be more introvert. From a Western perspective such classroom behaviour could be interpreted as being passive, where students want to hide in the classroom. Interviews with students (personal communication March 2007; personal communication October 2006) indicate however, that from an Asian perspective and in particular from a Chinese perspective - such behaviour is a gesture of showing respect to the lecturer. In their upbringing, Asian students are taught not to challenge their teachers by asking questions or by commenting in class. Asking questions might result in the teacher not knowing the answer. Since the teacher would lose face, such situations are to be avoided.

My own experience is supported by academic literature. Lindsay and Dempsey (1983) show that students from Asian cultures hold different pedagogical preferences than students from Western cultures. Rodrigues (2005) concludes that Asian students prefer [...] passive-like teaching techniques, such as lecturing, wherein relatively low control and personal responsibility for learning is given to them [ ] (p.609). Especially Chinese learners expect the teacher to lead and present class material (Jarrah, 1998). All these studies can be summarised by Dejoy and Dejoy s (1987) observation that students from some cultures want greater control and personal responsibility in their learning, while students from other cultures prefer that the teacher takes responsibility for learning and providing structure. Based on this research, one could conclude that students from Asian cultures would always prefer a lecture-like delivery model and feel uncomfortable in an experiential teaching and learning setting. However, research on preferred learning styles and adjustment issues of international students suggests that once Asian students experience learning through direct experience they prefer experiential learning to lecture-like delivery methods (Ladd and Ruby 1999). Since an experiential learning environment enables the tertiary teacher to incorporate employability skills while delivering concepts and topics, I was stimulated to apply an experiential teaching and learning style in my multicultural classroom for my Market Research class. Techniques In my experience students of the Market Research class are very concerned about finding a job within their discipline after graduating. On many occasions, students ask questions like: What kind of jobs do we qualify for after graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Business Studies? Incorporating competencies and skills mentioned in jobs descriptions and job advertisements for graduate jobs in the Market Research industry seemed to be a good motivator for students. The following table provides an overview of competencies and skills that are often stated in graduate jobs in Market Research and these may be matched to learning opportunities to develop such skills in the Market Research class. The competences and skills mentioned in table 1 are based on an analysis of 12 job advertisements of graduate jobs in the Market Research industry in New Zealand. Skills outlined in this table were found in all 12 advertisements.

The successful applicant will be able to Learning opportunities in the Market Research class to develop such skills demonstrate good communication skills including strong presentation abilities Has the opportunity to present to the class on several occasions Presents key findings of assignments to a client work with clients Assignment 2 and 3: Work on a real life market research project for a client Will meet the client at least twice during the semester analyze quantitative and qualitative data Knowledge of univariate analysis, bivariate analysis, and descriptive statistics Conduct quantitative research and analyze collected data in class and for assignments Knowledge of in-depth interviews and focus groups Practice both interview forms during class Conduct research via qualitative research tools and analyze collected data in class and for assignments demonstrate strong skills in Introduce to advanced functions of MS Excel statistical software applications, Analyze quantitative data using advanced functions of especially MS Excel and SPSS MS Excel (required for assignments) Introduce to advanced functions of SPSS Analyze quantitative data using advanced functions of SPSS (required for assignments) Table 1: Matching job relevant skills and competences with learning opportunities in the Market Research class Demonstrate good communication skills including strong presentation abilities Many job descriptions for graduate jobs in Market Research require strong or excellent communication skills, and especially strong presentation skills. Market researchers have to present their findings and analyses to clients. Students often lack such skills, especially if they do not have work experience. I am attempting to provide students with the experience of presenting in front of people by allowing them to frequently present in class. I often hand out short readings and cases. Students then summarise main points on poster-sized paper and present their understanding to the class. Together we discuss the topics to summarise the material. Another way of emphasising work-related communication skills is to ensure that the assessment programme provides a mirror of tasks that would be completed in the field. Students have to produce written work for assessments in formats that are relevant for the workforce. The assessment programme for Market Research includes the production of a research brief, a research proposal, development of questionnaires/ surveys, execution of in-depth and/ or focus group interviews, and the development of a report that summarises all research findings. The marking guides for these activities outline expectations from a practitioner/ workplace point of view. Typical criteria for grades are:

Grade Typical marking guide criteria (Extract) A Entire presentation likely to be accepted by practitioners without change A- Entire presentation likely to be accepted by practitioners with minor change B Most aspects of the presentation likely to be accepted by practitioners, but some parts require change C Some aspects of the presentation likely to be accepted by practitioners, but presentation needs improvement D Only a few aspects likely to be accepted by practitioners; needs substantial improvement E Not acceptable by practitioners Table 2: Incorporating practitioner s view into marking guides Table 2 outlines only one aspect of the assessment criteria. Depending on the assessment item, other criteria apply. Students often do not know what standards are expected in the workforce. Incorporating high quality and low quality examples and analysing the differences helps students. Working with clients Many employers require staff that are able to effectively deal with clients. Communicating with clients in a business environment is a steep learning curve for many students, and especially for those who have not entered a New Zealand workplace and who lack business experience. My assessment programme incorporates two assignments that require students to work with a business client. Students receive a research brief from an industry client that outlines a market research project. The client comes to a class and talks to students about scope and aim of the project. Based on that brief, students have to develop a research proposal and present it to the client. In the next step, students develop research tools and conduct research. The research project is finalised once students have written a report and have presented their main findings to the client. This approach provides students with some experience in working with clients. Analysing quantitative and qualitative data While working on the client s project, students complete an analysis of qualitative and quantitative data for a real-life project. After meeting the client, students are mostly highly motivated and want to succeed in the project. At this point of the semester, teaching the students becomes a wonderful experience as students can relate to the concepts as they apply them the client s project. I often experience students who have increased motivation and who come to class with questions and who request more advice and information on particular techniques and concepts. As a result, I have a fully engaged, interactive class. Before I used experiential learning strategies, this was not the case.

This is in contrast to the literature findings presented earlier (Rodrigues 2005; Jarrah 1998; Dejoy and Dejoy s 1987). These authors concluded that Asian learners prefer a passive-like teaching technique. In my experience, however, Asian students are willing to take greater control and responsibility in their learning, after they have a different, enjoyable and risk-free experience. At the beginning of the semester, many students are introvert, but after being introduced to the reallife project, they are often more extrovert and are more willing participants in any learning activity. Demonstrate strong skills in statistical software applications, especially MS Excel and SPSS Typically, students have to analyse a vast amount of information and data for the client s project. They often feel overwhelmed by the complexity of statistical applications required for the analysis. At this stage I introduce advanced functions of MS Excel and SPSS (statistical software applications). As a result students experience the acquisition of software skills not as a burden, but a blessing. They realise that such software packages can help them to analyse the vast amount of data in a relatively easy way. Students therefore, are not only willing, but eager to acquire advanced software skills. Again, students experience a real-life situation of the use and necessity of advanced software skills that are likely to benefit them in their future employment. Students responses Every semester, students are given the opportunity to express their opinion on course and instructor in an anonymous, written form at an early stage of the semester (week 4) and at the end of the semester (week 15). Comments on the structure and organisation of classes are very positive. Most students experience classes as either very satisfying or satisfying (based on a Likert scale ranging from very satisfying to not very satisfying ). Furthermore, students seem to gain relevant knowledge from the Market Research class. Pass rates are very satisfying. For instance, in semester 2, 2006, only 4 percent of the class failed the Market Research course. In my personal opinion, the assessment tasks were not easy to manage for level 200 students, but required high-level analytical skills and considerable preparation time. Therefore, I consider students success rates as the result of an experience based learning and teaching environment. Concluding comments In conclusion, I can only recommend the experienced based learning and teaching approach. Literature suggests that international students, especially from an Asian background are more

likely to be used to a classical lecture environment. In my personal experience, however, experiential learning works well in a multicultural classroom. It takes some time to set the ground rules and to familiarise students with a classroom environment, where they need to participate and engage. The results, however, are worth the effort. Students need to see the relevance of what they learn. Typically, students will do what is required by the assessment programme to pass the course. Linking the assessment programme to employability skills helps in my classroom to boost students motivation. Students feel they study relevant material and acquire useful skills for their future employment. Bringing in an industry client who outlines a task for assessment items also works extremely well as a motivator. Students seem to be eager to perform well, when they see the link to real-life projects. The result of the techniques presented in this paper is a fully, interactive class, where both students and instructor are satisfied. References Dejoy, JK and Dejoy DM (1987). Self-directed learning: the time is now. Training and Development Journal, vol. 41, issue 9, pp. 64-66. Fallows, S and Steven, C (2000). Building employability skills into the higher education curriculum: A universitywide initiative. Education & Training, vol, 42, issue 2/3, pp. 75-83. Jarrah, F (1998). New courses will target transition to university. China Morning Post, April 23, p.28. Ladd, PD and Ruby, R Jr (1999). Learning style and adjustment issues of international students. Journal of Education in Business, vol 74, issue 6, pp. 363-367. Lindsay, CP and Dempsey BL (1983). Ten painfully learned lessons about working in China: the insights of two American behavioral scientists. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, vol. 19, issue 2, pp. 265-276. McKeachie (2002). McKeachie s teaching tips. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, MA: USA. Moore, R (2003). Students choices in developmental education: Is it really important to attend class? Research and Teaching, in Developmental Education, vol. 20, issue 1, pp. 42-52. Rodrigues, CA (2005). Culture as a determinant of the importance level business students place on ten teaching/learning techniques A survey of university students. The Journal of Management Development, vol. 24, issue 7/8, pp. 608-621 Romer, R (1993). Do students go to class? Should they? Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 7, issue 3, pp. 167-174 Silberman, M (1996). Active Learning: 101 strategies to teach any subject. Allyn and Bacon. Boston, MA: USA WordNet (2007). WordNet a lexical database for the English language. Princeton University, NJ: USA. Retrieved April 24, 2007, from http://wordnet.princeton.edu